There are a lot of ways to dream and prepare for those big adventures we all hope to live out some day. Most of us have a have a goal we wish to achieve that involves taking off for extended sea time aboard our own Nordhavn trawler.

I’ve seen several forms of motivation to keep the dream alive and the determination focused: computer screen savers of your favorite Nordhavn to remind you every time you boot up, framed blueprints on your office wall, calendars, photos and other mementos to brighten up those times when we need a reminder to keep on track. And now I’d like to share a new one.

During a chance meeting a couple of weeks ago at a local resort where I was attending the wedding of a Nordhavn colleague I saw some familiar faces who waved me over to their balcony. With the Pacific Ocean as our backdrop I recognized it was Sean and Gretchen Clancy. I reintroduced my wife Pam (we had all met at last summer’s Nordhavn Southwest Rendezvous) and we talked about the big day unfolding for James and Julie Leishman.

Sean and Gretchen are two very active southern California locals who have a passion for boating. Sean loves big fast power boats and has competed several times driving their 38’ 1500hp “Go-Fast” powerboat in the Catalina Ski Race. This annual California water ski competition travels a distance of 62 miles from Long Beach to Catalina Island and back. Speeds can reach in excess of 85mph (imagine the rush the skier feels), and they finish the race in under an hour. Gretchen, not happy being just a shoreline spectator, along with her “co-captain” Zoe, their 6lb Chihuahua, will take the Clancys’ other boat, a 2001 510 Sea Ray Sundancer, out for the day along with 20 friends on board. She jockeys for viewing spots along the route and fearlessly sets the anchor at the finish line in the midst of well over 100 other boats. With the race complete she skillfully returns to their 16’ beam slip expertly maneuvering the 15’8 beam boat home “old school” a la no bow thruster!
We have been talking for a while about their “dream” boat, their getaway machine when the time is right, and right now the ideal passage maker for the Clancys is the Nordhavn 68.

Milestones like weddings mark our lives with a time to pause and celebrate. Sean had recently celebrated a significant birthday and told me about the cool cake Gretchen had surprised him with that featured a Nordhavn 68 with the words, “One year older is one year closer”.

I asked Sean to email me a photo so I could share it with the Nordhavn community and here it is. As the beautiful wedding ceremony ended and the sun set in the ocean for us all to enjoy I smiled to myself and wondered how many Nordhavns were out at sea watching the same sun set beyond the horizon as they charged towards a far away destination.

I’m sure that Sean and Gretchen will continue to stay in touch as they get closer to finalizing their plans of Nordhavn ownership. There is a day in the future when their Nordhavn 68 will be all provisioned and ready for sea. We’ll celebrate with dinner and champagne and that will all be icing on the cake!